The Flying Scotsman (2006 film)
| The Flying Scotsman | |
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Promotional poster
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| Directed by | Douglas Mackinnon |
| Written by | John Brown Declan Hughes Simon Rose |
| Starring |
Jonny Lee Miller Laura Fraser Billy Boyd Brian Cox |
| Music by | Martin Phipps |
| Cinematography | Gavin Finney |
| Edited by | Colin Monie |
| Distributed by | Verve Pictures (United Kingdom) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (USA theatrical) |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $11 million |
| Box office | $1,258,900 |
The Flying Scotsman is a 2006 British drama film, based on the life and career of Scottish amateur cyclist Graeme Obree. The film covers the period of Obree's life that saw him take, lose, and then retake the world one-hour distance record. The film stars Jonny Lee Miller as Obree, Laura Fraser, Billy Boyd and Brian Cox.
The film starts with Graeme Obree (Miller), who suffers from crippling bipolar disorder, cycling into a wood where he prepares to hang himself. A flashback to Obree's (Sean Brown) childhood depicts him being physically attacked at school by other pupils, leaving severe psychological scars. One day Obree is given a bicycle by his parents and we see Obree evading the bullies on his bike.
The adult Obree is married with a child. While competing in local races, he runs a failing cycle shop and has to supplement his income as a bicycle courier. Baxter (Cox), a boatyard owner who is (unbeknownst to Obree) a minister, befriends the atheist Obree.
Obree decides to try and beat the hour record. He has neither the funding nor the quality of bicycle required. Determined to succeed, he constructs "Old Faithful", a revolutionary bicycle designed by Obree for maximum efficiency, made up from scrap metal and components from a washing machine. With help from his friend and manager Malky McGovern (Boyd), Obree plans to break the world record in Norway. His first attempt is a failure, but he tries again the following morning and succeeds. His victory is short-lived, and his record is broken by Chris Boardman (Adrian Grove (credited as Adrian Smith)) a week later. The Union Cycliste Internationale changes the rules to discourage Obree from using his experimental bicycle.
Obree is severely depressed the night following his record-making ride. This is exacerbated when Boardman breaks the record. When Obree is confronted in a pub by the four bullies who had victimised him years earlier at school, he becomes completely withdrawn and rarely leaves his house. Baxter attempts to counsel him, but Obree feels betrayed when he discovers that Baxter is the pastor of a local church.
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